How do you know if a bedroom is considered a bedroom or not?  Good question, right?  The answer is quite simple because the requirements are clearly defined.  Pay attention to the following key areas to determine if a room can be considered a bedroom.

ENTRANCE

A bedroom needs at least two methods of egress.  The two most common forms are a door and one other exit – either a door or window.

CEILING HEIGHT

A bedroom ceiling needs to be at least 7 feet tall in one direction.  It’s ok if some of the ceiling are below this level only if 50% of the ceiling is at the 7 feet minimum height.

ESCAPE

A bedroom must have one other method of egress beyond the entrance point.  A door to the exterior works as an exist point and so does a window.  According to the International Residential Code, a bedroom window can be between 24 and 44 inches from the floor, it needs to be at least 5.7 square feet for the opening and it must measure no less than 24 inches high and 20 inches wide.

SIZE

The room should be at least 70 square feet and more specifically the room cannot be smaller than 7 feet in any horizontal direction.

IS A BEDROOM REQUIRED TO HAVE A CLOSET

A bedroom should have a closet since that’s what most buyers expect, but it doesn’t technically have to have one to be deemed a bedroom.  The International Residential Code does NOT mandate a bedroom to have a closet.  You should ask yourself, what does the local real estate market expect, what does the local city or county require?  Would buyers consider the room a bedroom if there was no closet.  In a newer constructed home, it will probably hinder sales if a bedroom doesn’t have a closet but if the home was older it may have been constructed without a closet during the time the home was constructed.